xcomfandomcom-20200223-history
Friends In Low Places
Friends In Low Places is a unique Council Mission added by the Slingshot Content Pack for XCOM: Enemy Unknown. This mission carries a randomized Operation designation and takes place in a random Chinese city. Acquisition Friends In Low Places is available as an alternate to the first Council Mission which randomly occurs during the first month. The timing is altered in XCOM: Enemy Within, it is available during the second month (51 days into the campaign),XComStrategyGame.XGFundingCouncil, DefaultGameCore.ini, game file, XCOM: Enemy Within (2013). provided that Operation Slingshot was enabled via the Advanced Options when beginning the game. This mission is initiated by a Council transmission received at the Situation Room: Mission Brief Mission Objectives Mission Site Upon arriving at the mission site, a brief cinematic introduces the Triad operative, Shaojie Zhang, before revealing a unique Chinese graveyard map. The graveyard is set on a gently sloping hill with the squad starting at the top and having to reach the extraction zone in the street at the bottom. Cover consists of numerous graves and short walls, several "Foo Dog" statues, a lone cherry tree and some cars parked on the street. Enemy Types The alien forces encountered during this mission consist primarily of Sectoids and Thin Men. Depending on the game difficulty, either a solitary Chryssalid or a Plasma Rifle-wielding Muton will spawn near the LZ. In XCOM: Enemy Unknown the Muton appears exclusively on Impossible difficulty; in XCOM: Enemy Within it spawns on Classic and Impossible difficulties. Only a single pod of the aliens are present at the start of the mission (near the cemetery gate), and the rest will drop into the map as the squad and Zhang advance towards the extraction zone. On the turn they arrive, the Sectoids, Thin Men and the Muton will use Overwatch as their first action. Tactics Like other Target Escort missions, the VIP begins with the squad and is under the player's control. Zhang is unarmed and has very little health. He should be shielded from enemy attacks and stay clear of burning vehicles near the extraction point. Since all of the newly spawned enemies drop into the mission and their entrance counts as movement, placing several soldiers on Overwatch may allow them to weaken or eliminate the enemy with reaction fire before they can become a real threat. Given the early placement of this mission, it may be XCOM's first encounter with Thin Men and/or Chryssalids and/or Mutons; all three can present a significant threat to the squad, especially on the higher difficulties. A lack of experienced veterans and advanced equipment will likely leave soldiers unable to easily kill such enemies and susceptible to instant kills from critical hits from the Thin Men's Light Plasma Rifles, the Chryssalid's melee attacks and the Muton's Plasma Rifle shots. The Chryssalid presents a particular problem, as it can spawn a Zombie which could prove to be another tough opponent at this early stage of the game; the Muton has no spawning capabilities, but his Plasma Rifle has enough firepower to kill soldiers in one shot even if they're equipped with a Nano-fiber Vest or Respirator Implant, and so can his Alien Grenade, on top of destroying cover. Given there is no time limit for the completion of the mission, one of the best strategies is to take the squad slowly along one of the sides of the graveyard. The approach provides the squad with high elevation, a safe flank to prevent flanking, and better vision. While it is possible to advance through the center of the graveyard, enemies have increased opportunity to flank the troops, and the lower ground makes Snipers less effective. Status Updates The following status updates are received from Central Officer Bradford during the mission: Source: In-game dialogue, XCOM: Enemy Unknown Mission Debriefing Rewards The Council rewards XCOM with the following: * *2 Engineers *2 Scientists Zhang joins XCOM as a Heavy Class Lieutenant with the nickname "Chilong", likely outranking his fellow soldiers at this point in the game, meaning he will have a superior number of abilities and will unlock additional upgrades at the Officer Training School. Completing the mission rewards the player with the "New Friend" achievement. Confounding Light will be the next mission offered by The Council (25 days later). Notes *This mission provides an easy method of capturing of aliens for prepared players. Because they drop into the map when a team member moves into certain zones and use Overwatch as their first action, it is possible to position squad members (equipped with Flashbang Grenades and Arc Throwers) at or near the predetermined drop-points. **The Muton in particular, if captured, provides a very early opportunity to rush Plasma research. Bugs *The game may not register that Zhang is in the extraction zone, preventing the mission from ending. He may need to be moved in and out of the zone more than once before the event is recognized. Gallery Quick-Look-XCOM-EU-Slingshot-DLC-with-Gameplay-Video-4.jpg|The Council has a special request. Quick-Look-XCOM-EU-Slingshot-DLC-with-Gameplay-Video-10.jpg|XCOM Soldiers encounter their contact, Shaojie Zhang. 2KGMKT XCOMEU Screenshot DLC Slingshot 05-resized.jpg|A Soldier engages a Sectoid in the graveyard. Quick-Look-XCOM-EU-Slingshot-DLC-with-Gameplay-Video-14.jpg|Zhang boards the Skyranger following a safe extraction. Quick-Look-XCOM-EU-Slingshot-DLC-with-Gameplay-Video-15.jpg|Zhang contemplates his actions as the Skyranger takes off. Quick-Look-XCOM-EU-Slingshot-DLC-with-Gameplay-Video-16.jpg|The Skyranger departs for XCOM HQ. References Category:Missions (XCOM: Enemy Unknown) Category:DLC (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)